Member Since: 3/10/2007
Band Members: ALL HANDS ON DECK!!!
Influences: Through inspiration I listen, lead and follow.
Sounds Like: John Stockdale was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He began writing songs at age 14 with a classical guitar his grandfather, Patrick Leonard, had given him. Being classically trained, and inspired by his grandfather, he knew that playing guitar was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.He sang in church, in the school choir, and in a band he had formed with friends. His Dad was his high school band director, and they spoke long into the night on many occasions about music theory, and the history of modern music. He played guitar with anyone he’d meet that he could learn something from. At age 20, he answered a newspaper ad for a guitar player. In a tough bar, he read jazz standards at a live performance well enough to get hired. After giving gas money to his ride, he was left with one dollar, which he gave to a panhandler at the door. It was an eye-opening experience for the young artist. There was a long, tough road ahead, towards becoming a professional musician.At that bar, he saw an article for the Atlanta Institute of Music. He felt it was a call to destiny, and decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia, and pursue a music education. At a fast pace, he graduated at the top of his class, and immediately began gigging all over Atlanta with three different bands per week, while teaching up to 60 students per week. Playing anything from classical, blues, disco, top forty, rock, southern rock, heavy metal, death metal, punk, acoustic duets and trios, instrumental, R&B, soul, funk, and jam bands, eventually led him to a group called Mandorico. They needed a guitar player.Mandorico has a following the size of a small country, and this was a break he was looking for. After a successful audition, he quickly quit his job, gave away all of his guitar students, left his apartment and a new car, and immediately hit the road with the band. A new adventure began. Sharing the stage with various national and international acts including the late Tito Puente, The Wailers, Celia Cruz, Smashmouth, Rehab, UB40, Foo Fighters, Toots and the Maytals, and countless others, was a whirlwind learning experience. Eighteen months and countless highway miles later, a new album was proudly produced.Turning a new leaf, he decided to move back to South Carolina and focus on his own individual direction in music. Living quietly alone in a pole house on the Edisto river, in Round-O, he fished in his backyard, and wrote classical music. He worked construction during the day to get through the transition, and wrote songs by night. Inevitably, he decided it was time to get back into music again. Teaching out of the Leonard School of Music, founded by his grandfather, he built up a new group of guitar students.Through word of mouth, he began gigging again in West Ashley. Performing in one place led to another, and another, and so it goes again. Now settled back in Charleston, SC, and educated by family, schools, and the road, John has two CDs under his belt, with another coming soon. John is constantly writing music. He performs live almost every night now, for your entertainment.
Record Label: Pima Productions
Type of Label: None